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Office and Administrative: Career and Education Opportunities in Portland, Oregon

Office and Administrative:
Office and Administrative professionals perform many diverse activities, ranging from clerical and secretarial duties to daily administrative tasks which support general office functions.

Portland, Oregon photo by Fcb981

Portland is located in Multnomah County, Oregon. It has a population of over 557,706, which has grown by 5.4% in the past ten years. The cost of living index in Portland, 103, is above the national average. New single-family homes in Portland are priced at $194,700 on average, which is below the state average. In 2008, six hundred forty-eight new homes were constructed in Portland, down from 1,205 the previous year.

The three big industries for women in Portland are health care, educational services, and professional, scientific, and technical services. For men, it is professional, scientific, and technical services, construction, and accommodation and food services. The average commute to work is about 23 minutes. More than 32.6% of Portland residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 11.4%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Portland is 10.7%, which is greater than Oregon's average of 10.6%.

The percentage of Portland residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 45.7%, is less than the national average but more than the state average. The largest religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Charismatic Churches Independent.

Portland is home to the Barnes Yard and the Haig as well as Cottonwood Bay City Park and Wallace City Park. Visitors to Portland can choose from Motel 6, Shilo Inns & Resorts and Comfort Inn Portland for temporary stays in the area.

Computer Operators handle the machines that are more and more at the center of business operations. Entering data, authoring documents, and processing text, they move information from the physical business world into the digital.

Dispatchers deal with the logistics of moving people and product from place to place. Working in fire departments and for freight companies, they manage the day-to-day operations that get things where they are supposed to be.

Human Services personnel are focused on people, both inside and outside of an organization, and the organization's relationship with them. Working in areas as diverse as HR and customer service, these workers handle the human side of organizations.

Telephone and switchboard operators are often the first voice a customer hears when contacting a company. Using their knowledge of a company's operation, they route people with questions to the right person at the right time.